How Hawkins shaped two decades of cruiser design

The Hawkins class resembled an enlarged C- or D-class light cruiser and carried a scattered battery of seven 7.5-inch guns. One alternative considered here is five twin six-inch turrets using mountings like those fitted to Enterprise, which would still have required a larger hull. That arrangement, or the larger 9.2-inch design, could have changed both the ships and the later treaty boundary. The reason for choosing the 7.5-inch gun remains uncertain in this assessment, although availability is suggested as part of the explanation. Its inability to deal with the largest surface threats left torpedoes to provide a heavier striking weapon. This wartime emergency design nevertheless became a benchmark for cruiser construction for roughly twenty years, extending through the Second World War, despite its questionable combat efficiency.